Mortal Kombat is starting to take shape. It was announced today that James Wan and crew have found their Jax, Raiden, and Mileena actors. They are preparing for the fight of a lifetime. It was revealed earlier today that Ludi Lin is in talks to play Liu Kang, who was one of the original seven characters from the video game franchise. Kang was also portrayed in both big screen adaptations in the 1990s. Actor Robin Shou played the part of the martial arts master in the aforementioned installments.
Supergirl actor Mehcad Brooks, Thor: Ragnarok actor Tadanobu Asano, and newcomer Sisi Stringer are all in talks to join Mortal Kombat. Brooks is in negotiations to portray Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Stringer is Mileena, and Asano is taking on the role of Raiden, the Japanese god of thunder. These are all huge castings and could throw this movie over the top, which is more than likely what fans are looking for in this new adaptation. New Line is reportedly looking for a diverse cast to reflect the “global nature of the franchise.” Joe Taslim is playing Sub-Zero in the movie, which was announced earlier this year.
Mortal Kombat writer Greg Russo recently commented on the hard R-rating, noting that the movie will certainly earn it. Not only that, when asked if the adaptation was going to be accurate to the iconic game franchise, he said, “Game accurate? Yes, we are… I can say for sure that the fatalities that we’re gonna put into the film are from the game.” The addition of fatalities in the Mortal Kombat movie is something that fans were very excited to learn about since they are one of the most popular aspects of the game. Russo added, “it will feel awesome and badass, but it’s going to play a role, you know, it’s not just going to be there just to be showy.”
Related: James Wan’s Mortal Kombat Reboot Targets September Shoot Date
Details about James Wan’s Mortal Kombat are being kept under wraps at the moment, which is working in the project’s favor. Wan knows how to keep fans engaged and won’t let any promotional material out until he feels it’s absolutely ready to be seen by the fans. This is already setting up some hype for the long-awaited movie and the new castings will go a long way in adding even more excitement for it.
The new Mortal Kombat is scheduled to hit theaters on March 5th, 2021 and production is expected to start at the beginning of next year. First-time director Simon McQuoid is at the helm and working off of a script written by Greg Russo. The project is being produced by James Wan and Todd Garner. Hopefully some more news will drop soon, but today has been a good day for fans who have been waiting a long time for more updates. The Hollywood Reporter was the first to announce the latest Mortal Kombat casting news.
